


opposite day

by pins_and_pens



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: A little, But compared to my other stuff it’s light, But not that much they just miss like the part where Nidai comes back as a robot, Canon Divergence, Confession, Gay Komaeda Nagito, I can’t help myself so, Idiots in Love, Komaeda Nagito Being Komaeda Nagito, Komaeda Nagito Hates Himself, Komaeda’s luck cycle, Light Angst, M/M, The end of chapter 3, Ultimate Wingwoman Chiaki Nanami, When I say slowburn I do mean it, a little ooc, but it’s just, but they do, despair disease, dumb teenagers, hajime is awkward, hug, ok I lied no kissing, ok so it got a little more angsty than I expected, post trial 3, sdr2 is basically a dating sim with murder to be fair, so it’s to be expected, stuff Komaeda says, takes place during
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:27:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24615265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pins_and_pens/pseuds/pins_and_pens
Summary: remember that scene in ch3 where Komaeda tells Hinata he hates him and hates being around him and that he wants Hinata to leave?Well Hinata does.And he’s more than a little hung up on it.I will Die with this pairing, thank you, mic dropped
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Comments: 44
Kudos: 487
Collections: Quality Fics





	1. oh dear Hinata

**Author's Note:**

> yoooooooooo  
> I have had this idea in my head for WEEKS, specifically the idea that Nanami would be Hinata’s wingwoman and a certain line she says 
> 
> there’s probably gonna be like. 3 chapters max but I only have the first one written although I have a clear plan for how I want this to go 
> 
> Just to clarify, I do the thing where they all call each other by their surnames, however, Hinata is very friendly in that respect and lets everyone he’s talked to at least twice use his first name so that’s why Nanami calls him Hajime but he calls her Nanami still

The cool, yet clammy, air of the tropical night hit Hinata’s face as he and everyone else emerged from the trial room, descending down the escalator and hitting the dusty rock below. The air inside the elevator had been tense and hot. Hinata was sweating, and so the outside breeze was a welcomed reprieve.

The rustling of the palms was the only sound apart from the click of Nevermind’s heels, as she rushed away towards the hotel along with Tanaka, arms around her shoulder in console. Hinata glanced and saw Souda tagging behind. Owari, whereas she would have usually been numbly making witty converse with Nidai, was traipsing back to the hotel too, it seemed. She muttered something about eating on the beach, but Hinata paid it no mind- it sounded just like her, and it was completely reasonable considering she was still grieving the loss of her best friend and manager. Kuzuryu had disappeared already, having been the first to leave the trial room, and Hinata assumed he’d also gone to sleep.

Hinata stepped off the escalator, and moved a few steps to the side to allow everyone left to get off too. The only ones still descending were Nanami and Komaeda.

Nanami, gracefully hopping the last few steps, smiled at Hinata and started walking. He followed suite, glancing back for only a second at the last contender: a shaking-in-the-cold Komaeda who immediately started off in the opposite direction to them as soon as his feet hit the floor.

“I had hopes for ‘Miki. I’m sad she did that.” Nanami sighed, mindlessly shoeing a rock away with her feet.

“I hate seeing our friends get picked off one by one.” Hinata replied in understanding.

Hinata hadn’t exactly minded Tsumiki. Sure, she was slightly... eccentric, in some respects, especially concerning the nights before her death wherein he’d awoken several times to her, for lack of a better word,  _ chest  _ in his face. But she was nice. Caring. Always willing to help people, even if it was the smallest thing. And then... she’d just broken. Like that. It was like she’d gone crazy or something, the way she was lashing out and shouting at everyone, and her face had been terrifying- almost as if she was possessed. Then, her execution. Hinata had looked away. He always did. He’s certain the only person who  _ actually  _ watched the executions was Komaeda, and that’s only because he’s a total-

“What do you think she meant by seeing her ‘beloved’ again? It was creepy.” Nanami’s questioning tone shocked Hinata out of his mindscape-slander, and he turned his head to look at her.

“She had despair disease, didn’t she? Maybe she was delirious?”

“Even so, it felt weird. Like it was... true, somehow. I don’t really know.”

Hinata sighed. He didn’t want to talk about their dead friend right now. “There’s no use thinking about it now.”

“Speaking of despair disease, are you sure you’re ok, Hajime? Didn’t you sleep with ‘Miki?”

Hinata's cheeks flushed, a strained gasp falling out of his mouth.

“Don’t say it like  _ that _ ! It sounds so bad that way!” This rather immature reaction elicited a giggle from Nanami, which calmed his rapid nerves slightly.

“But, yeah. I’m fine. If I feel bad, I’ll tell Monokuma since it’s his fault.”

Nanami furrowed her brows at the mention of the mechanical bear. She had some sort of vendetta against him, Hinata didn’t know. She just disliked him being mentioned, at all. He guessed it was kind of how he was with Komaeda. He didn’t like to be around him.

Komaeda.  _ Fucking _ Komaeda. Hinata had absolutely no idea why he kept thinking about him, but he did and it was vexing him to no end. Maybe it was because he’d worried everyone with his near-death encounter when he had despair disease? Probably. He would have been worried if it was any of his friends.  
  


Not that he considered Komaeda his friend. 

More of an acquaintance, really. One that he happened to have to talk to an awful lot. It’s how it is, being stranded on an island with only 15 other teenagers, and that was the maximum that seemed to be quickly dwindling down to naught.

He didn’t trust that Komaeda was fully recovered. He didn’t trust Komaeda- full stop-but the fact that the only confirmation of his recovery had come from Tsumiki and the wispy-haired male in question didn’t sit well with him. Tsumiki, as is a well known fact now, had despair disease when she confirmed that. And Komaeda was just a liar in general. Monokuma  _ had  _ said that he’d cured the rest of them, and they’d certainly looked fine at trial, but it wasn’t the mental effects he was worried about. 

One night when Hinata was watching Komaeda, the time he was at his worst, he’d been able to really take the time to see just how bad Komaeda had gotten. The heat from his fever had radiated off of him in waves, and the moonlight from the window had illuminated the sweat on his skin. He’d shivered whenever he exhaled. With how thin Komaeda looked in general, his collarbones, the only visible structure beneath the fabric of his hospital gown, jutted out at an awkward angle, and if Hinata hadn’t known thats what bones usually look like (although they’re normally cushioned by layers of fat, not sparingly stretched over skin) he would have thought they were broken. 

Komaeda hadn’t only been concerning when he was asleep, but when he was awake, too. Liar’s disease, Monokuma has classified it as on the first day they’d found out. At the time, Hinata had thought it bitter ironicism, that the resident pathological liar (or, rather, the teller of hard truths) was now afflicted with something like that, and maybe he’d actually tell the truth for once. He still wasn’t sure whether he was right or not. 

Hinata had heard Komaeda say a lot of concerning things over the days he’d known the man, and those things had stacked up in the masses during the days of the disease. 

Amongst his personal favourites (yes, he was keeping a record of ‘disturbing things Komaeda says with no problem’) were the notion that Kuzuryu was a clone, and that Togami was still alive. But that was towards the start of the despair disease. They were clearly lies with no base, and they were almost... funny to Hinata. 

As he got worse in condition, so did the lies. Or. What he  ~~hoped~~ _ thought _ were lies.

Hinata assumed that having liars disease meant that everything you said was actually the opposite. Like in elementary when someone would suddenly claim ‘opposite day’, and all the kids would go around saying goodbye to greet eachother- except this time it had involved loss of consciousness and a 3 day coma. So, not exactly kid friendly fun.

Some things Komaeda said to him, specifically, had kept him thinking. 

“-heyyyy. Hajimeeeee. Are you sleepwalking?” Hinata was, all of a sudden, aware of his surroundings again, and Nanami’s voice accompanying her hand waving in his face.

“Sorry! I’m awake. I promise.” He laughed, passing off his little thoughtscapade as nothing but zoning out.

Unfortunately, as soft-mannered as she was, Nanami was stubbornly perceptive.

She frowned, “you were distracted,” the frown shifted into a dramatised pout, “you were ignoring me!”

As Nanami hmph’ed in annoyance, Hinata stumbled over an answer.

“No, no, I swear! I was listening!”

“What game was I talking about?”

“...Tetris?”

“Aha,” she rustled around in her hoodie pockets, pulling out a small handheld, “it was space invaders! So, what’s up?”

Hinata paused mentally. He wasn’t exactly sure how Nanami felt towards him, and he didn’t want to offend her by admitting he’d been thinking about a certain green-jacketed boy whilst she tried to lighten the mood from a hard trial.

“It’s nothing important, I just..” He trailed off.

Nanami wasn’t having it.

“You just what?” She pressed onwards, replacing the handheld in the safety of her pockets.

“It’s something Komaeda said to me. When he had that liars disease.”

Nanami tutted, “you  _ know  _ whatever he said was a lie, right? That was the whole disease, Hajime.”

“I know that. It’s the,” he sighed, “it’s more what he didn’t say. The... he said he hated me. That he hated beingaround me and wanted me to leave.”

“And that was a lie.”

“Yes.”

“So what’s the issue?”

What  _ was  _ the issue? Was it the implications? Was Hinata chronically overthinking this? Was it just more Komaeda-run rubbish? Cryptic riddle?

...No. He knew why he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“Hate is a strong word, right Nanami?” He started off calm. No need to dump all his emotional baggage on his friend in a split second.

“I’d say so.” She nodded in agreement.

“So, if someone said they hated you, but they were lying, would it be safe to assume they meant the opposite?” Hinata stared at her, unknowing if she’d catch on or if he’d have to actually voice his theory out loud.

By some kind god, the notions of recognition flashed in her eyes for a moment.

“...Oh.” Her face was still unreadable.

“Do you see where I’m going with this?” Hinata asked tentatively.

“You think Komaeda’s in love with you.” She blinked slowly.

Hinata searched for an answer.

“I- not exactly  _that_ ,  but yes. I think Komaeda might have feelings for me.” He settled on a still bordered answer.

Nanami seemed to do the same minute of thought, before she raised an important question: “Do you have feelings for Komaeda?”

This caught Hinata off guard.

He... might. He wasn’t not sure. It could just be the platonic worry he feels for Komaeda as a person due to the despair disease. Pity disguising itself as a crush. Not that he should pity people- growing up he was taught that it was an awfully rude thing to do. But, whenever he thought about Komaeda- the small upturn of his lips when he found Hinata’s bad jokes amusing, how he stood just a  _ little  _ awkwardly like he didn’t know where to put his hands (even though almost every article of clothing he wore had pockets), how his eyes had this thing that they did where they shifted colour slightly from that muted green to a darker grey if you stared into them for long enough-

Fuck.

There was a 90% chance that Hinata Hajime  _ may  _ have feelings for Komaeda Nagito.

Nanami, with her seemingly-god-given perception skills that Hinata sometimes  _ really  _ wished she didn’t have, saw his thought process clear as day.

She smiled, eyes closed, and spoke, “You should go and talk to him.”

“He might not remember saying any of that! He was sick, Nanami- what if I’m reading it wrong?”

“It doesn’t matter, though,” Nanami began, “whether he remembers saying it or not. He still did, and there were obviously intentions behind it. If he hadn’t meant it, don’t you think he would’ve said something like ‘I don’t like you’? I don’t think you’re reading it wrong. I’m confident in you, Hajime.”

“But-“ Hinata, by all means, Did Not Want To. He knew he should, and that he had Nanami’s words to fall back on if he  _ was  _ wrong, but that didn’t calm his nerves.

“Nuh uh. Leaving emotions untalked about is bad for you. You deserve clarification. Go, shoo!” She gestured with her hands for him to leave.

Hinata was about to spin up another excuse, but  _ god  _ she wasn’t going to move on this, he could tell, and he would just end up procrastinating it until it ate him up otherwise, so-

Hinata nodded to Nanami, who nodded in solidarity, then did a little clap with a bright smile. She stood where she was, waving Hinata good luck as he continued to walk in the direction of the cabins, hoping Komaeda was there and that he wouldn’t have to use his map. When she was sure he was on his way and that he wouldn’t turn back, he saw her turn and make her way towards the beach- just like Nanami to go there. Helping one person, onto the next before crashing at midnight after playing too many games. He could be certain she’d be sleeping during breakfast. 

Keeping his head on the dusty pavement in front of him, he thought about how he was going to say what he wanted to without sounding weird.

He hoped he was wrong. 

Or right.

God, he really didn’t know. 


	2. please, make sense for once Komaeda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hinata visits the cabin, and the two have a conversation. Mostly just me and the fact I Can’t Write Dialogue at all so I’m very sorry for the suffering y’all are about to endure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiiiii! sorry this took so long to write haha I wasn’t in a writing mood and suddenly I had a giant Komaeda kinnie moment so I found it difficult to write as Hinata but I managed! I think there’s only gonna be one more chapter after this but that’ll probably be out in like three months knowing me

By the time Hinata had entered the hotel compound and briefly talked to Kuzuryu (who he’d seen by the pool and thought it rude to just walk past without saying anything to him, damn his politeness) the night had truly set in. When he looked up, he saw the silver light of the moon- though drowned out by the wispy clouds- casting an ethereal effect over the island. He reckoned it must have been about 9:30pm, since Monokuma hadn’t made a nighttime announcement yet, but it was late spring (if the cherry blossoms were anything to go by) so it wasn’t like the sun set early. 

He exhaled loudly. He couldn’t believe he let Nanami talk him into this. He was probably just overthinking it. What if he was wrong about how Komaeda felt? That it wasn’t the way he’d thought? He should probably just go to sleep. It was late, Komaeda probably didn’t want to be disturbed and-

No. Even if he was overthinking what Komaeda had said to him, he knew how he felt about the man. Plus, he couldn’t take the amount of hassle Nanami would give him if he didn’t do this now.

Weighing his options one final time, he walked to the cabin that had the sign ‘Komaeda Nagito’ in front.

Before his hand even touched the small, Monokuma-shaped doorbell, however, he heard a voice through the wood.

“Yes?”

Hinata hesitated. “It’s Hajime. Can I come in?”

Silence. Then, footsteps. A click of a lock, and the door swung open, revealing a bright-eyed Komaeda, smiling straight at Hinata.

“It’s a little late for a visit don’t you think?” Komaeda paused, “oh! You can come in. I’m not going to force you to stand outside like a dog.”

They exchanged an awkward smile- purely awkward on Hinata’s end, he didn’t think Komaeda  _ understood  _ the concept of awkwardness- then Hinata stepped through the frame and into Komaeda’s cabin. He’d only been in there once before, during what Monokuma liked to call ‘free time’, but he hadn’t been in there long since all he did was wait for Komaeda to put on a jacket before they’d gone to the beach. It was almost the same as his- lacking most decor. Hinata’s was a lot dirtier though. He was never the best at cleaning.

Komaeda seated himself on the edge of his bed, and Hinata grabbed a chair from the desk in the corner to sit in front of him.

“So, Hinata, what’s your reason for visiting? Discussing the trial? Although, I’m not sure it’ll be of any use now considering it’s been dealt with...” Komaeda trailed off.

Hinata cringed at his crude use of words. “Dealt with seems a little... inconsiderate, don’t you think? Tsumiki was a person.”

“A murderer.” Komaeda corrected him.

“She was sick.”

“I was sick too, Hinata, and I didn’t kill anyone did I?”

_Not in the literal sense... you almost killed quite a few people emotionally. _

Hinata was a little off put by Komaeda’s intolerance, every trial. The fact that he was able to so easily detach himself from someone, even if their reasons for.. what they did... were innocent, was scary. And he didn’t beat around the bush after they were dead either. There was no sugarcoating from him. 

“I thought I said you could call me Hajime. Everyone else does.” Hinata veered the conversation away from the topic of the trial. He didn’t want to think about it, and it wasn’t what he was here for, even if he wished it had been. 

Komaeda clicked his tongue, “You’re too quick to let people call you by your given name. You’re an ultimate! You should revel in the fact that you have status above the average person! You know, if I were an ultimate-“

“-you are, Komaeda-“

“-if I were a  _ real  _ ultimate, no one would ever use my given name. I don’t particularly like it, anyway.” 

Hinata sighed. “You’re more of an ultimate than I am. You know what you got into Hopes Peak for, I can’t even  _remember_. ”

Komaeda’s face darkened. The smile dropped from his lips.

“Don’t.” 

And as quick as it was gone, the smile was back- “don’t put yourself down Hinata. I’m sure your ultimate is truly amazing, and amnesia is very common in stressful situations like this.”

“I guess.”

There was a moment of silence between them. Hinata sensed Komaeda knew that wasn’t all he’d visited for. Komaeda’s eyes had this way of just  _ staring _ into someone’s very soul- keeping eye contact with him was mentally draining. It was as if every second one was looking, he was busy analysing your every move, every possible action. He’d proved in the three trials that he was capable enough of quick thinking and evaluating,  _ really  _ evaluating, his own actions as well as the actions of those around him. Souda has once joked that it was like he could smell fear. Hinata wouldn’t question it if it were true. 

“There is something I wanted to ask. It’s about when you had despair disease.” No going back now. 

“Hinata, I’m fine now. I appreciate your concern but Monokuma said-“

“It’s actually about something you said to me.”

Komaeda froze. Not in a panicked sense- he was anything but. His head, tilted, a polite smile embedded on his face. Just... unmoving. 

“Oh?” His mouth barely moved. 

Hinata cleared his throat. “Trust me, it’s really stupid and we’ll be able to laugh about it later, but- I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It kind of hurt.”

Komaeda’s smile faltered a little. “Get to the point, Hinata? I’m sorry, but I have little memory of when I was sick. You’ll have to explain it.”

“Right. I-“ Hinata thought about the phrasing, then figured, fuck it, it’s Komaeda, “You said you hated me?”

Komaeda burst out laughing. 

Hinata didn’t see what was so funny, but obviously Komaeda found whatever it was so hilarious that he was doubled over, clutching his chest wheeze-laughing so much that Hinata wasn’t sure he was actually breathing. Sure, it was nice to see him using  _ that  _ laugh for something other than a mid trial existential you-were-all-wrong breakdown, but Hinata felt his temperature rise as it occurred that Komaeda was just laughing at him. 

Still reeling from whatever joke Hinata had missed, Komaeda sat up and wiped tears from his eyes. “Oh my  _god_ ,  Hinata, you’re so precious! You really came to talk to me because you were scared I  _ hated _ you? You’re like a puppy, honestly-“

“-I really don’t think it’s that out of the ordinary.” Hinata placed a hand on the back of his own neck.

“I could never hate any of you! You’re ultimates! To hate you, that would be, well- that would be idiotic!” 

Oh.  So it wasn’t specifically about him. It was Komaeda’s ‘hope and talent’ spiel. Maybe that was good? It meant he didn’t have to confront his friend about the possibility of feelings, but- there was the reverse end. Hinata also... harboured some form of affection for the man in front of him. For him not to return would be embarrassing. 

“...That’s not all, is it?”  
  


Hinata’s momentary silence was apparently enough of a tell.

“What else is it? Is it that you’re annoyed that I had the audacity to say that to you? Do you want an apology? I don’t have much memory of saying it, but if I ever did anything to offend you I’d want nothing but to apologise. It’s disgusting that I thought to say that even while sick, actually-“

“-I can’t keep thinking about what it meant!” Hinata, in a quickly formulated attempt to get Komaeda to just  _ shut up _ , now realised he couldn’t stall any more. Shit.

That seemed to pull Komaeda out of his self loathing enough for a reaction, “What... it meant?”

“Yes, I-“ there was no softer way to put this, so Hinata figured he might as well exposition it, “you had liar’s disease. Which meant whatever you said was lies. Or, more precisely, the opposite. And since I think  _ hate _ is a relatively strong word, I- and please tell me if I’m wrong, god, I feel like an idiot- Komaeda, do you have feelings for me?”

... 

_Komaeda, do you have feelings for me?_

There. He’d said it, at least. Now it was out in the open, and if it was some misunderstanding he could just laugh it off and try to think about Komaeda in a solely friendly manner from then on. But if it wasn’t, and it went down well... that’s also a good thing. Hinata thought. He hoped.

An air of tense silence settled on the cabin. Komaeda was avoiding eye contact, which was unlike him, and Hinata was staring right at him which was probably making the man uncomfortable. It’s not like he could help it, he was just trying to gauge  _ any  _ sort of reaction, but- none. Komaeda’s face was completely unreadable, save a twitch of the eyebrows momentarily. 

Finally, he spoke.

“Something like that.” He still wasn’t looking Hinata in the eye.

“Something like that? So is that a ‘I like you’ or a ‘I have feelings for you’? Because they’re both very different things.”

Komaeda appeared to exhale. “I didn’t think you’d figure it out so soon. No offence, Hinata, but you’re quite dim.”

That hurt a little. Hinata scoffed, “I-what?”

“I wanted to keep it a secret until you truly hated me,” Komaeda stood up from his perch on the side of his bed, “but, you found out. It was quite idiotic of me to try and hide something like that from an ultimate, thinking you wouldn’t know.”

Hinata watched as Komaeda seemed to distance himself, walking over the the opposite wall and leaning there. He looked... pensive? His eyebrows were upturned, and he stared into the distance somewhat. 

“It’s alright, Komaeda.”

“It’s not. You’re disgusted by me, aren’t you? Me, a  _ worthless _ human as I am-“

“-no.” Standing up to face him, Hinata gripped the back of the chair he’d been sitting on.

“No?” Komaeda, in that moment, looked genuinely shocked.

Hinata couldn’t just sit there and listen to Komaeda’s self-deprecating bullshit anymore. Actually, it was insulting. It was insulting to have someone you love (because yes, he was using that word now, he was in love with Komaeda Nagito, the Ultimate Lucky Student and his dastardly enigma of a personality) hate themselves with such passion and lack of remorse. He almost conveyed his annoyance on his face, but then his usual lack of better judgement gave him conscious thought for a millisecond to tell him it would probably egg Komaeda on and that would be a horrible decision. 

So he settled on something a little softer. A smile, and a step towards Komaeda. 

Komaeda flinched back, but he didn’t make an effort to avoid Hinata. There was only about a foot between them. Hinata outstretched his hand, hoping some form of physical touch would maybe distract the white-haired man in front of him from deprecating himself further.

“I feel the same way.”   
  


As if that was some sort of personal, aimed dig, Komaeda quickly retracted his pale hand. He stuck it in his pocket, and glared at Hinata. 

Had he said something wrong? He didn’t think so. All he’d said is that he loved Komaeda back. Was that bad? He’d never been in a relationship before, but he assumed Komaeda hadn’t either- had he just made a giant mistake?

“You don’t.” Komaeda’s voice felt heavy. _Dark_.

Hinata cocked his head, “I.. do? Komaeda, you can’t tell me how I feel-“

“-you don’t. You couldn’t possibly feel the same way I do.”


	3. there’s a good reason these chapters are numbered Hinata, you just haven’t thought of it yet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ridiculously Long Chapter Title gag
> 
> Hinata and Komaeda continue their conversation, and Komaeda is being difficult as always. But with good reason. 
> 
> How’s it been? It took me a month to update this thats so bad of me oml

_ You couldn’t possibly feel the same way I do. _

Now what the hell was that supposed to mean? Hinata had been thrown through a wheel of emotions when around Komaeda before, but this was new. He knew his feelings, for once, towards the Ultimate Lucky Student and Komaeda was blatantly going to stand there and tell him _he_ _ didn’t feel the same way? _

“I have feelings for you too, Komaeda.”

“You misunderstand, Hinata. It’s more complicated than that.” Komaeda dripped his head, arms crossed.

More complicated? More  _ complicated? _ What could be more complicated than love? Hinata was utterly confused, but he wasn’t going to say whatever came to mind first because that usually ended terribly bad for him. One thing for certain was that Komaeda wasn’t kidding. This wasn’t one of his weird jokes. The air around them felt tense, and Komaeda seemed more vulnerable than he usually appeared. As if he had just opened Pandora’s box. What exactly was going on?

Hinata took a breath, “I wouldn’t hate you. Not now. You can tell me what’s wrong.”

“Hm,” Komaeda made a noise of discontent, “I suppose.”

Smiling encouragingly, Hinata placed a hand on Komaeda’s shoulder.

“Stop that please.”

“Sorry,” He placed his hand back at his side, “anyway, I promise you can tell me. It wouldn’t change anything.”

Komaeda’s eyebrows furrowed, looking at Hinata as if he had just said something stupid. Hinata didn’t like how much Komaeda underestimated him, and it seemed it was happening again here, but he could never talk to him about it because Komaeda would get finicky. Place him on a pedestal among the other people on this trip with them, as he always did, and  _ conveniently  _ leave himself out of that limelight. 

“Hinata, I’m telling you now that it’s a mistake to harbour feelings towards me.” With dead seriousness, Komaeda solemnly stared at the man in front of him.

A sigh of frustration left Hinata’s mouth, “If this is about the whole ‘trash like me’ spiel, I don’t want to hear it. I’ve decided I have feelings for you. The only thing that could change that is if you said you didn’t-“

“-then I don’t.” Komaeda deadpanned, “Forget what I said before. I hate you. I never want to see you again. Forget I exist. Kill me if you have to.”

_ What? _

He didn’t just say that. That was almost-with some minor differences and unwanted add ons-  _ exactly _ what he’d said to Hinata when he was sick. He couldn’t mean it. Hinata began to raise a tentative hand to Komaeda’s forehead, other arm held across his chest.

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright? You sound like when you had-“ 

Hinata’s hand was grabbed and pulled away from where it was on Komaeda’s face, and the perpetrator of this action raised his head to glare at Hinata. He looked pained. There was something in his eyes, the same crude mixture that resides in them every class trial. When he was losing touch with reality. Hinata tried to pry his wrist out of Komaeda’s grip, but found it too strong. The worry crept up on him. 

Then, the pained look gave way to something else. Something dark.  _ Really _ dark. 

“I’m not lying.” Komaeda forced his words out through gritted teeth.

Komaeda’s nails dug into Hinata’s skin. 

“I hate you. You’re an idiot and I despise your very existence. I wish you weren’t here.”

“Komaeda, I-“ Hinata took a small step backwards, one that he had expected Komaeda to match. Instead, Komaeda unleashed his wrist, which snapped back to Hinata’s other hand as he held it, “-stop.”

Komaeda smiled.

“Why? Do you hate me now? Do you want to leave? Do you want to kill me? I won’t stop you. Personally, I’d suggest dumping my body into the sea but if you had a better idea that would perhaps leave less evidence then I wouldn’t be opposed to it.” 

Hinata took another step backwards. This time, Komaeda unstuck himself from the wall and matched his stride. 

“You’re scaring me.”

“Oh,” A laugh escaped Komaeda, “you should be scared of me. It’s dangerous for you to be around me, Hinata. There’s a reason Souda and Nidai decided to have me restrained after Hanamura’s execution. Didn’t you see what I did? I  _ killed  _ someone. Togami is dead due to my discretion. It wouldn’t be the first time, of course, but I did it myself this once. What I’m saying, Hinata,” the laugh turned into the bad kind, the  bad  kind and Hinata was afraid he would have to call for help, “is that you should forget me. People drop dead like flies around me. I’ve already killed two ultimates, and I wouldn’t doubt that the deaths of the other 5 that have perished were simply because of my being here. I don’t want to kill any more of you. Especially not you, Hinata. I-“

Hinata knew this was all just a farce. He was concerned and slightly afraid nonetheless, but he knew it was a farce.  _God_ ,  he just wanted to have a short confession with Komaeda, get some solid answers, but instead he was faced with this. Despite that, he wasn’t mad. Hinata, for all his slow connection skills in the courtroom, was not stupid. It’d clicked about halfway through this slightly unhinged soliloquy of Komaeda’s that he, too, was afraid of himself. Now, that might not be an entirely accurate conclusion, and it might’ve been miles off kilter, but something on Hinata’s face had given off the impression that he had figured something out and it seemed to have pulled Komaeda’s vocal chords out of his throat. 

Finally, silence. Hinata had time to think of his next words. He got the feeling they mattered, here and now. 

“If,” Hinata searched for solid footing in his phrases, “if you’re scared I’ll die, I won’t. I promise.”

“It doesn’t work like that. You can’t decide if you die or not. It’s not your choice, or mine.” Komaeda seemed to have calmed down a little, lowering his voice.

“How do you know that?”

The white haired man clicked his tongue, “That’s how it’s been. Ever since I was born. Bad things happen, followed by something good, usually in the form of currency. And vice versa. If something good happens to me, the glory is short lived. I can’t allow myself to be happy. Especially not with you. I don’t want you to die because of my luck and get a price tag pinned onto your body, Hinata.”

So that was it. Well, it was nice to know what exactly was stopping Komaeda from accepting the fact that Hinata likes him back. The fact that Hinata was now aware of that did absolutely nothing to deter him, but it was sort of refreshing to finally be aware. 

“How can I convince you I’ll be ok?” He figured just asking outright would be the best option for him. He got the feeling Komaeda wouldn’t like being left out of something that directly involved him. 

Komaeda sighed, “You can’t, unfortunately. This is the way it is. I can’t let you get closer to me than you already are. I wish it were different.”

It was frustrating. Hinata, frankly, didn’t  care  if he made it off the island or not. He didn’t trust Monokuma, and he didn’t trust the bear to keep any promise it had made. He wasn’t sure if any of them would leave. So, god  _ dammit _ , can the universe let him have one thing if he’s going to die here? Death didn’t scare him! Sure, he didn’t want to die too young, but if that’s how it had to be for him to be with someone he truly, genuinely liked, then so be it. 

Wait. 

Did Hinata just admit he’d die for Komaeda? 

He should keep that to himself. It certainly wouldn’t help here.   
  


Now, Hinata had no idea how Komaeda’s brain worked. The man had proved time and time again that his thinking process was far too complicated for any of them to even begin to pick apart. But he knew, vaguely, what people with the kind of self esteem issues that Komaeda had liked to hear. Not  _liked_ ,  necessarily, but the things that he should say in order to assure Komaeda he’ll be fine. The more Hinata thought about it, the more it sounded slightly manipulative but he really didn’t want to think about that and if the guilt ended up eating him alive he could always apologise to Komaeda later.

“You said bad luck is followed by good luck, right?”

“Money, usually, but yes.” Komaeda was listening.

“But not always?”

“No, not always. Something bad happened to me and then I was accepted into Hope’s Peak, so not always money.”

“And you could assume that being stuck on a killing school trip would count as bad luck, right?”

Komaeda wasn’t amused. His lips were pursed in a tight line, but they moved to deliver a short sentence, “Where are you going with this?”

“Well,” Hinata braced himself, not sure for what but it felt like a safe measure, “what if the good luck was me having feelings for you? A chance at a relationship?”

Komaeda, for what felt like the millionth time that night, glared at him. Although this time it felt more like a glare of slight annoyance, maybe endearment if Hinata squinted, instead of anger or dark resentment. So an improvement.

“That’s idiotic.”

“But possible?”

Hinata could tell Komaeda didn’t like the fact that his only reason for keeping himself isolated had just been- if Hinata was to boost his own ego a little- completely obliterated.

“Yes.” Komaeda rolled his eyes subconsciously, “I suppose.”

“So it’s not a problem anymore.”

“Again,” Komaeda resigned himself away from Hinata, leaning back on the wall for comfort, “not exactly how it works. But I appreciate the effort.”

Hinata wasn’t sure how he could win Komaeda over here. Their feelings were out, yes, but  _ apparently  _ it had to be deeper than that. He honestly didn’t expect it to be easy, considering Komaeda was a whole issue on his own, but he hadn’t expected it to be this difficult. Maybe 15 minutes, 20 at the most.

As if to attest to the fact that he had been here longer than he probably should have, a little bell toll rang out through the cabin.

A bear in 480p appeared on the small screen in the corner of the cabin, green tint sparking as the kind-of-crunchy audio like that of a cheap microphone ringing in Hinata’s ears.

“Ahem! Hope’s Peak Academy School Trip Executive Committee has an announcement to make...”

Hinata and Komaeda both turned to the screen. There was no real reason to, it was just habit at this point. It felt rude to interrupt, not to mention the fact that this tyrannical bear dictator residing over their lives would probably kill them if they spoke over him.

“It is now 10pm! Please return to your rooms and relax. Let the sound of the ocean gently rock you to sleep.”

Nothing out of the ordinary. Hinata was half expecting there to be a snide comment about ‘late night visits’ being prohibited, but this announcement seemed to be the normal, prerecorded ramble.

“Now then, sweet dreams everyone. Good niiiiiight...”

And with that, the monitor shut off, leaving them in silence once again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hinata exudes so much himbo energy but I love him 
> 
> so you know how I said this would be around three chapters? well I lied haha
> 
> probably (PROBABLY) only one more chapter after this however it may or may not be shorter than the others significantly just because there’s not much else I have to write to get the the ending point of this 
> 
> As always, hope you enjoyed, and comments are greatly appreciated!


	4. peace on jabberwock and Hinata FINALLY gets to sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so very sorry for the delay 😭 only just remembered it existed sitting in the orthodontists yesterday lmao
> 
> The conversation finishes, and a conclusion is reached. Nanami asks Hinata about it. 
> 
> oh btw this hasn’t been beta read and was finished at about 11:30pm in a monster fuelled haze so there may be s o m e mistakes

Hinata, before it had even left Komaeda’s mouth, knew exactly what he would say.

“You should go back to your cabin.”

Simple. Curt. And on the Komaeda bullshit scale it ranked a ‘I’m shutting down all possible attempts for you to continue this conversation because I am being proved wrong, and I don’t like that’ out of ‘ludicrous lies with little basing’. Hinata didn’t want it to get any higher than that, because when Komaeda gets finicky after being somewhat understood, what happened earlier (dramatic monologues including not-so-subtle threats against people’s lives) happens along with asthmatic-sounding laughter and concerning phrasing of sentences. 

  
However, Komaeda was not the only stubborn son of a bitch in the room.

“I can stay for a little longer.”

“It’s dangerous to be alone after dark.”

“My cabin is about twenty feet away, Komaeda.”

“Still-“

“-if you’re  _ that _ worried, I could just stay in your cabin.”

Komaeda’s eyes widened, much to Hinata’s concern. Then, both boys blinked slowly in unison. Hinata, having just realised what exactly he’d said; Komaeda, wondering what in the everloving  _ fuck  _ compelled Hinata to make a comment like that after a conversation like the one they had just been having. 

“Wait,” Hinata stuttered, “I didn’t mean it like that. I mean like, I could sleep in your cabin. With you. Not- not like,  _ with  _ you with you, just- in the same room. Away from you. But- I didn’t mean that badly- its just, I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable and I could still go back to my cabin after we finish talking- we’re not done yet, by the way- but I  _ also  _ don’t want you to just be worrying about me the whole night because I’m out after dark and,”

Komaeda’s lips turned upwards, faintly, and if Hinata hadn’t been looking at them (not in a weird way, that’s just where his eyes fell whenever he looked at- nevermind-) he might’ve missed it. Even if he had, it wouldn’t have been his only chance to see. Komaeda was, undoubtedly, struggling to keep a straight face. He couldn’t look at Hinata. His eyes were on the ground next to him. His arms, where they were folded across his chest, shook slightly with the semi-rapid rising and falling of his ribcage.

A small chuckle escaped his efforts. 

“-what?”

Another small chuckle.

“What’s so funny?”

It seemed as if the very sound of Hinata’s voice was the thing Komaeda found such hilarity in, because he was trying not to burst out into laughter when Hinata had finished his question. One hand over his mouth in an attempt to stop himself, another clutching his stomach as he doubled over. 

“I-  _hah_ - I absolutely ha-  _ha_ \-  hate you, Hinata. You are an idi-  _ ha!- _ idiot.”

As he continued his strained laughter, Hinata cautiously replied.

“Are you telling the truth this time, or-“

Komaeda managed to staunch his hilarity for just a moment to get out a consistent sentence, “I just told you that you’ll most likely die around me. Yet you still try and spend as much time with me as you can.”

“And, the way you overthink your phrasing is endearing. I find it quite funny.”

Hinata was unamused. “Yeah, thanks.” He deadpanned, a hand twisting in the back of his brown hair, “so? Do we finish this and I go back or?”

“Honestly I’d prefer you not to walk around at night but depending on these last few minutes you may not want to be around me.”

“I already told you,” he sighed, “it’s not going to change anything. I like you,  _ every _ aspect of you, so nothing you say could change that.”

_ Every  _ aspect may have been a slight exaggeration. Yes, he was fully sure that, by this point, he was in love with Komaeda. Or at least had one hell of a crush on him. But, as proven, Komaeda could be extremely scary sometimes and Hinata wasn’t a fan of that. That’s not to say it made him hate Komaeda, (and even if it did, Hinata had enough brain cells to identify that telling him that would be a horrible idea) rather... it made him concerned. He thought spending so much time around Nanami might’ve cause him to pick up some of her personality, because all he’d been doing recently was trying to make sure everyone was happy. So, consequently, seeing Komaeda this upset made him a little sad himself. 

“You’ve made that clear enough.” Remnants of a smile were still evident on Komaeda’s face as he looked Hinata in the eye, “though I want you to understand that it could still be dangerous to be around me.”

Hinata smirked, “You’re not going to make me sign some sort of legal document wavering my life, are you?”

“What? No, of course not.” Hinata figured that Komaeda probably wouldn’t like jokes about his talent, but he’d found it to be witty in the moment so was rather disheartened when the white-haired man had completely let it go over his head. 

“Can I ask something of you, though? You can say no.”

Hinata paused. Something?  _Something?_ ‘Something’ to Komaeda could be anywhere from a favour to committing a federal crime. But, considering their current situation, with Nanami aware of where they both are and everyone else asleep- Hinata reckoned it would probably be on the lower end of the spectrum. 

Holding his own arm lightly, Hinata swallowed whatever lump seemed to be in his throat, “Yeah, sure. What is it?”

“Can I have a hug, please?”

...oh. Ok. Yeah. That’s... he can do that. 

“Yes! Ah, uh- yeah. Yeah, Komaeda. You can.” Pushing the slight embarrassment of exactly how ready he was to have any sort of physical contact with the other man, Hinata awkwardly stepped towards Komaeda.

The embrace was far from romantic, in actuality it hardly even felt platonic- it was awkward, stiff and Hinata had no idea where he should put his hands to not seem weird.

Komaeda was fine with it. His arms were firmly plastered onto the top of Hinata’s back, hands brushing the top of his shirt collar. He rested his head comfortably in between Hinata’s shoulder and his neck, and the slight itch of crystalline eyelashes on his skin told him that Komaeda had closed his eyes. Hinata was the one making it awkward. 

After an internal debate on whether to place his hands in the same position as Komaeda, or let them rest lower (not  _ that  _ low- very important note) that seemed to last a good few minutes (in actuality, it was around fifteen seconds) Hinata finally decided to let his hands lay still in the middle of Komaeda’s back. Not suffocating, or strange, but hopefully comforting to some degree. Hinata never was the best with reading other’s emotions, and the clusterfuck of personality that was Komaeda Nagito was no exception to this rule.

_ One thing they don’t tell you about teen romance _ _,_ Hinata thought, _is that you don’t suddenly understand everything once you realise you’re in love. If anything, it just makes you more of an idiot._

“I am sorry if what I said whilst I was sick made you worry too much,” Komaeda mumbled from where his head was, “I clearly wasn’t in my right mind.”

“Are you ever?” A small giggle from a mop of white hair made Hinata’s accidental brain-slip feel worthwhile.

Hands tightened around Hinata’s shirt, “I don’t suppose so, no.”

They stayed like that, for a while. Gradually, slowly, the hug became more natural. Hinata relaxed and he felt Komaeda do the same, fingers loosening from their entanglement in the polyester of Hinata’s white polo. The only sounds around them were the distant crashing of waves, barely audible to the chestnut-haired boy above the personally deafening noise of settling cabin wood and Komaeda’s rhythmic breathing. 

“Can I call you Hajime?” Muttered after a particularly loud sigh.

“Is this your way of asking me to go out with you?” One of Hinata’s hands drifted towards Komaeda’s hair, feeling the soft strands between his fingers.

“I think so?”

“Then yeah. Can I call you Nagito?”

Hesitation. 

“Not quite yet. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologise. I understand.”

This was nice. Here, with Komaeda, in a warm embrace, Hinata could almost forget they were neck-deep in a killing game. That, just hours ago, they watched their friend die. Although it seemed like such a morbid topic to think about when hugging his new boyfriend, (Boyfriend? Was that the word he was using? Was it the right one? He thinks so.) it was almost calming to think about the fragility of it all. Life. Trials are like the rapids of a river, pushing one back and forth against rocks bouncing off of debris, grasping at straws in an effort to just  _ slow down _ . And the time in-between is the calm, rolling stream with birds in the trees and nothing but the morning sun to keep one company. Hinata realised quite quickly never to take anything for granted, here. Moments like these could very well be his last. But here, and now, he didn’t have to worry about all that.

Now, it was just him and Komaeda.

Nothing more, nothing less. 

Suddenly, there was a movement at his chest and Komaeda’s body straightened up in front of him, yet again reminding Hinata that he was, in fact, the shorter one.

Komaeda pushed his hands across the front of his jacket, untwisting the edges so they all laid flat against his t-shirt. He ruffled his hair, and- rather endearingly- straightened Hinata’s tie for him. 

“What do we do now?”

As if to answer this, Hinata yawned. “I’m tired. I should go back to my-“

“-you can stay here if you want.”

“Oh, so  _ now  _ you’re up for it?” Hinata smiled.

Komaeda smiled back, “I change my mind often, Hajime. You’ll have to get used to that.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you,” Hinata chuckled lightly, and Komaeda shook his head in lighthearted denial, “can I use the bathroom?”

“Sure. The bed’s big enough for two, do you think?”

Walking towards the connected room, Hinata called back, “I think so? If it’s not, I’ll just sleep on the couch.”

“Ah, good thing it is then. That thing is awfully uncomfortable and I doubt it would be good for anyone’s back.”

***************

Nanami watched with curious eyes, over the edge of her plate and Owari’s shoulder, as two figures entered the restaurant.

One, with chestnut hair and a sun-kissed complexion. The other, faded remnants of colour at hair tips and pallid skin. 

So they did talk, then. 

Did it go well?

Did he confess?

Are they ok?

Well, they must be. They walked in together so they hardly could’ve had an argument. 

_ They walked in together.  _

Nanami did not hear Hinata walk back to his cabin last night. And she was awake for the majority of it.

Catching his eye, she sleepily waved at him, and he smiled back at her, waving in return enthusiastically. She gestured for him to come over and talk, so he whispered something to Komaeda, left his side and sauntered over to her table.

“Mornin’ Hajime!” Owari called cheerfully, no trace of yesterday’s sadness. Well, Nanami would hope not, as she spent a good hour talking on the beach to make sure Owari went to bed calm last night.

“Good morning, Akane. Nanami,” Hinata nodded at the lavender-haired gamer.

She raised an eyebrow. “Hajime, you’re talking like you’re forty. So,” her face brightened a little, “did it go well?”

Hinata laughed nervously, “Not as planned. But, uh- yeah. Well. Really well.”

“I’m glad! Now you guys can stop batting around the bush with each-other and be straightforward.”

“Straightforward? Have you  _ met  _ Komaeda?”

“Ah, I guess you’re right there.”

Nanami glanced at Owari. She was pretending not to pay attention, but Nanami could tell she was absolutely enthralled with the story unravelling itself in front of her. No doubt this would become island-wide news before lunch. She hoped Hinata and Komaeda wouldn’t mind it. Nothing much stays secret for long on Jabberwock, anyway.

“By the way... I didn’t hear you go back to your cabin last night. Did you sleep with Komaeda?”

Owari spit out the water she was drinking. 

_ “Nanami-!” _

She laughed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so- did y’all like it? I hope you did lolol
> 
> I really like how I wrote chiaki in the last bit 🙏 that girl needs so much appreciation I am In Love with her 
> 
> so chapter 2 me was right, it did take me three months to finish this 😎✌️ But I did it right (not me taking three weeks to literally write laughter because I couldn’t think of the right word for it!)  
> How is everyone?   
> I started my last year of mainstream school?? Pog??? Already drowning in stress but we vibe
> 
> comments are always appreciated! I love feedback n I am always trying to better my writing xoxoxo


End file.
